Feeding: Why I Chose to Exclusively Pump

Feeding

During my pregnancy, I had every intention to breastfeed Gray until he was 12 months old, but unfortunately things didn’t really go as planned in that department. Since I had an unexpected c-section, I really didn’t prepare or have a plan in place immediately following the delivery. I expected to have a vaginal delivery and that I would have skin-to-skin/feed Gray in the immediate seconds-minutes following his birth. Although I saw Gray once he was born (they held him up so we could see him), he was taken to the nursery for about 40 minutes for vitals and other procedures. I so wish I would have been more persistent about having immediate skin-to-skin, but honestly everything happened so fast that my brain was just playing catch up. When Gray was brought to me, I was told that his blood sugar was low and they asked me to feed him to see if that would bring it up (it did!). The first time I fed him was amazing– it is such a powerful moment knowing that you are giving your child everything he needs to survive. Gray latched very well and seemed to know exactly what to do.

During my 48 hour stay at the hospital, I breastfed on demand (which feels like 24/7) and everything seemed to be going well. The Lactation Consultant (LC) did stop by my room and ask how things were going- I told her it was “great!” and that I didn’t need any help. My mom was also there, so I felt like if I needed any guidance then I would ask her. I regret this decision immensely because I think the LC could have provided so many tips early on which may have changed the eventual outcome of me not exclusively breastfeeding. I highly recommend speaking to the hospital’s LC (even if you think things are going well!) just to see what she has to say.

Once we were at home, I continued to breastfeed on demand and still felt like things were going well. My mom kept mentioning that she was surprised I wasn’t engorged, but not everyone experiences this so I wasn’t too worried. I would feel a let down and whenever Gray would feed, he would latch, suck, and swallow well. Whenever he came off my breast, I could see milk in his mouth, so I knew he was getting something.

Gray had his newborn check-up two days after being discharged from the hospital. He had lost a little weight (not uncommon in newborns), but my pediatrician advised to keep feeding every 2-3 hours and to return in a few weeks for his one month old check up. Over the next few weeks, I continued feeding around the clock on demand. I was exhausted and although I felt like Gray was doing well, at his one month old check up we realized that he hadn’t been gaining like we hoped. During his exam, we confirmed that he didn’t have a tongue tie or any other issues that may make feeding difficult. My pediatrician was super sweet and reassured me that things would be fine. I felt like a FAILURE– seriously, I left so sad and anxious. I immediately called a local LC and scheduled an appointment for her to come to our house. This was around Thanksgiving, so my appointment was after the holiday. In the meantime, I decided to try pumping and bottle feeding Gray. We knew that everything on his end checked out, so that meant he wasn’t gaining great weight most likely because I wasn’t producing enough milk. I wanted to pump to see how many ounces my body was producing and I also wanted to see how Gray would take to a bottle. I quickly realized that I wasn’t making a lot of milk- I think I was pumping about 3 ounces every 4-5 hours. I was frantically searching Google for ways to increase my supply- I was trying it all! Power pumping, a method where you pump on and off for an hour straight 3 times a day for a few days, seemed to give me the biggest boost out of everything I tried. Thankfully, Gray took to a bottle great and even though all I wanted to do was breastfeed, I knew that as long as he was being fed it was all that mattered.

The LC came to our home a few days later and she watched me breastfeed Gray, weighed him before and after (to see how many ounces he was taking), and examined him. After breastfeeding, we realized Gray only took an ounce and we discussed ways to increase my supply. I talk about this more on my ‘mom life’ highlight, but she recommended:

• Breastfeeding every 2 hours around the clock
• Cash Cow supplement from Legendairy Milk
• Plenty of water
• Oatmeal each morning
• Lactation cookies daily
• If I pumped, switch to the Medela Symphony (much more powerful than my Medela Freestyle); she told me I could rent it from our local hospital

After our appointment, I was still frustrated that I didn’t have some kind of ‘quick fix’ to make breastfeeding more successful. No one could really tell me why it wasn’t working and I think that was the worst part. I ended up ordering the supplement and cookies, rented the hospital-grade pump, and really upped my water intake.

*As a side note, for those of you looking at breast pumps, the Aeroflow website is great! You input your insurance information and it lets you know what pumps are covered/partially covered. This is where I ordered the Medela Freestyle from while I was pregnant!

I honestly feel like I saw the biggest change in my supply once I started using the Medela Symphony. It has a very powerful suction and I guess that is what I needed to get the milk out- sounds weird, I know. During all of this time, Gray was doing GREAT with bottle feeding and to be honest, it was nice that other people could feed him. My supply kept increasing and I was finally able to store milk- yes, STORE EXTRA MILK! I was so happy!

So, for the last 2.5 months I was been exclusively pumping and it is what works for us. Currently, I pump 6-7 times per day (just depends how much I have going on work wise) and I like to follow this schedule:

• 2 AM, 6 AM, 9 AM, Noon, 3 PM, 6 PM, 9/10 PM

Gray loosely follows this feeding schedule currently:

• 7/8 AM, 11 AM, 2 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM
• We always make sure his 5 PM feed isn’t huge- we want him to be really hungry right before bed, so he takes a bigger bottle- that way he will sleep longer at night!
• I talk more about when he dropped his night feeds in the sleep section below!

Typically, during the morning pump sessions, I can get anywhere between 5-7 ounces and in the afternoon I will get 4 ounces. On average, I will pump 30-33ish ounces per day. It’s not a ton, but it is enough to feed Gray and some days I end up with some extra! Currently, I have about 120 ounces stored in our freezer which I am very proud of! We will be traveling this weekend and will be gone for 4 days/3 nights, so my mom will likely use all of it, but I will keep to this pumping schedule while we are gone so I can replace everything she uses! As a side note- I do have a few upcoming work trips planned this spring, so I am planning on keeping this pumping schedule so I can continue to build up a storage of milk. The maximum number of days that I am willing to be away from Gray is 3-4, but obviously I need quite a bit of milk in the freezer for him while I am gone.

Currently, the things I am doing to keep my supply up:

• Use the Medela Symphony
• Drink 120 oz water per day
• Drink coconut water or Gatorade each day (drinks with electrolytes seem to help me!)
• Eat oatmeal (old fashioned kind) each AM
• Take Cash Cow supplement

Obviously, different things may work for you to increase your supply and unfortunately it really is just trial and error (and having lots of patience!). If you are feeling frustrated about breastfeeding or having a decrease in supply, do not worry! It is totally okay if you have to feed with formula while you are trying to figure everything out- or if you end up feeding with formula exclusively! A fed baby is a happy baby– no matter whether you are breastfeeding or using formula. Please don’t beat yourself up if your feeding plan isn’t going like you hoped. All that matters is that your baby is getting nutrients and growing- no matter how you have to do it!

Below, I linked both of the breast pumps I have- The Medela Symphony is outrageously expensive; I am renting it from our local hospital for $70/month. I also linked Gray’s bottles and all accessories too!

Few quick things about the breast pumps I have here at home- the Medela Symphony and Medela Freestyle:

• The Medela Symphony is a hospital-grade pump. It retails around $2,000 (yikes!), but I am renting it from our local hospital for $70/month- still pricey, but it makes a huge difference for me. Size-wise is pretty big/heavy and it must be plugged in to work (meaning you are stuck sitting in one place while you are pumping and cannot get up to move around).
• The Medela Freestyle is much more compact, lightweight, and affordable. My insurance covered a large portion of it, so its didn’t cost me much out of pocket. This one doesn’t need to be plugged in, so you can wear it and move around as you please (it does need to be charged though). I use this pump when I am on the go or when I am traveling because it is much more practical. The downside with this pump is that its not as powerful as the Medela Symphony, so I am not able to pump as many ounces per day.

I hope this information is helpful for those of you who may be breastfeeding or pumping. No matter how you choose to feed your baby all that matters is that they are getting enough to grow and develop- whether that is formula or breastmilk! If your feeding plans do not go as expected, please please DO NOT beat yourself up. I have been there and it’s not a fun place- just know that in order to be the best mom to your baby you must take care of yourself. Added stress over feeding is never a good thing! In the end, we all just want happy, healthy babies 🙂

If you have any questions, advice, or tips comment below! I want this to be a place where we can learn from each other!